Cracks
by AZRobbins5
Summary: Paige McCullers is the biggest player at Rosewood High. No girl seems to be immune to her charms. Except Emily Fields. What happens when Emily starts to see the cracks in her facade? Paily.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This idea has been floating around in my head for a while. I edited it myself so let me know of any mistakes. Reviews are welcome. I'm almost finished with chapter 2 so if there are any huge problems I need to know sooner rather than later **** thanks guys!**

Emily Fields was standing at her locker, the bell just having rang for the end of the week. She was determining what books she needed to take with her for the weekend and which she could avoid lugging home when the other three of her foursome approached, apparently in a heated discussion.

"How did you get a 97%, Spencer?" Hanna was looking over Spencer's shoulder at a piece of paper.

"Maybe because I actually studied, Han."

"I studied! And I still failed." Hanna pouted.

"Hanna, making out with Caleb with a trig book open in your vicinity doesn't count as studying.." Aria chimed in.

"Whatever.." Hanna rolled her eyes. "Hey, Emily."

"Hey guys." Emily smiled back at her friends, shutting her locker.

"Can you still drive us to Noel's party tonight?" Hanna asked, smiling sweetly at Emily.

"Yea, it shouldn't be a problem. Just meet at my place around 9?"

"Em, don't you ever get tired of being the designated driver?" Aria asked.

"It's not a big deal. Someone's gotta keep their wits about them.." Emily smirked.

The four girls started off toward the doors when a hush fell over the hallway. They all swiveled their heads to see what put a stop to the commotion. At the end of the hallway, head cheerleader Amber Smithson was sauntering through the crowd. But it wasn't just Amber everyone was staring at. It was who she was holding hands with. And it wasn't Brian Young, quarterback of the football team and her boyfriend since sophomore year. It was Paige McCullers.

"Woha…" Hanna was the first to react. A murmuring began to rise up out of the crowd, no one looking away from the display.

Amber was in her blue and white Rosewood High Sharks cheerleading outfit, long blond hair cascading halfway down her torso. Her fingers were intertwined tightly with the tall swimmer's.

Paige stared straight ahead, a smirk playing on her lips. She was wearing a Sharks varsity jacket, her free hand tucked into the pocket.

"I don't even understand how she got that varsity jacket." Spencer spoke quickly, almost breathless.

Emily answered her, "She went to the coach and complained that it was sexist that only guys got the jackets. She said she was a varsity athlete, too, and should be allowed one. Obviously it worked." Emily rolled her eyes.

"How does she do it?" Aria wondered aloud. "Paige has gotten more girls at this school than any guy. And now she's got the head cheerleader? Dayum."

"Pff, she's never hit on me." Hanna said, looking almost upset.

"Han, you don't even like girls.." Emily responded.

"So! It'd be the thought that counts. But, for real. How is Paige such a stud? Does she have magic fingers, or something?"

"Pretty much…" Spencer said under her breath. The other three girls gaped at the tall brunette.

"Spence…you can't be serious. You…and Paige..?" Emily stuttered.

Spencer's eyes widened, realizing what she'd said. "Once!" she huffed, "One time! Before Toby! It was after a particularly satisfying win for the hockey team...we were at the after party and…well…" She trailed off.

"Hoooly shit, Spence…" Aria raised her eyebrows. Spencer was concentrating very hard on her Oxford loafers at the moment.

As Amber and Paige passed by the group of girls, Paige's gaze moved toward them. Emily was staring and her eyes accidentally met Paige's. Paige raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. Emily quickly looked away.

Hanna scoffed. "Fine! I guess I'm the only girl in the whole school Paige isn't interested in!"

It was 8:45 and Emily was standing in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear to Noel's. Not that it really mattered. There wasn't anyone she was trying to impress, anyway. Despite how easy Paige McCullers made it look, there weren't exactly many lesbians in Rosewood. Sure, Paige had a way of getting girls in bed for one night, maybe a few if she was lucky, but Emily knew Paige had never had a long term relationship. Maybe she didn't want one.

Emily knew she was a catch and could probably rival Paige's 'achievements' but she honestly wasn't interested in meaningless sex. The idea of a strange girl in her bed didn't turn her on. Connection turned her on. Conversation and common interest turned her on. She needed a girl to be more than just a tool for getting off.

Finally, Emily settled for a gray, off the shoulder sweater, a pair of tight black jeans and black combat boots. She stared at herself in the mirror for a second, tugging at the sweater. "Not bad, Fields." She said to the empty room.

Emily stood in the middle of Noel Kahn's living room, sipping on a coke, watching the party move around her. The music thumped in her ears. The other three girls had dispersed, saying various hellos, sharing gossip and filling solo cups with alcohol.

There was an uproar from across the room, people cheering a clapping and hollering. Emily took a few steps, peering over. She could see a couple guys holding someone upside down over the keg and counting. Some idiot football player doing a keg stand. Emily rolled her eyes. Why were guys such douche bags? Finally, after 58 seconds, the person motioned to be let down. That's when Emily saw it wasn't a football player at all. It was Paige, once again, the center of attention. Paige wiped some beer off her mouth and stuck both arms into the air, cheering. Her eyes flicked over to Emily, catching her staring for the second time that day. This time, though, she made her way toward Emily. She swaggered across the room.

"Hey Emily." Paige flashed her a smirk again.

Emily averted her eyes. "Uh..hi, Paige."

"You wanna do a keg stand?" Paige had her hands jammed into her jean pockets.

Emily knitted her eyebrows together at the request. "No…I'm, uh, the DD tonight." She said, lifting her coke can into the air.

Paige cracked the top off a bottle of Budweiser, chuckling. "How sweet of you." She took a long drink.

Emily didn't know how to respond and she shifted against the uncomfortable silence. She ran her fingers through her hair, searching for something to say. Even though they were co-captains of the swim team, Emily and Paige rarely had to speak one on one. It usually involved the coach or the rest of the team.

"Did, uh, Amber come with you tonight?" Emily finally asked.

Paige just smiled a bit and pointed to the kitchen. Emily looked and saw Amber passionately making out with quarterback Brian.

"Oh…I'm sorry.." Emily felt awkward.

Paige shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about."

"But..I thought…I mean…you guys were holding hands today…it just seemed like-"

Paige cut her off with a laugh. "What it seemed like was Amber had a big blowout with Brian and was looking for a way to get back at him. That's where I came in."

Emily quickly looked at Paige trying to determine the tone of her voice. Did that upset her? Did she mind being used like that? Or did she like it because made her look like a stud? But Paige just shrugged, an unreadable look on her face.

Paige pushed off from leaning against the table. "Alright, Fields. Have a good time tonight. I'm gonna get back to drinking." She held her beer bottle out and tapped it against Emily's coke can and they both took a sip of their drinks. "I've always liked that sweater on you, by the way." Then Paige actually winked at her and walked off toward the keg, presumably to assist in more asinine behavior.

Emily went off to look for the rest of her girls, but couldn't shake Paige's comment. 'She's always liked me in this sweater? Like she notices when I wear it?' Emily didn't know how she felt about that.

Around two o'clock in the morning, Emily was attempting to corral Aria, Hanna and Spencer to the car. Hanna was completely shitfaced, Spencer was fairly drunk and Aria was mildly tipsy. 'Yea…this seems about right..' Emily thought as Hanna leaned into her. Emily was trying to unlock her car, the other girls slumping against their doors when she heard someone talking, "Ahh fuck, come onnn..urghh.." Emily looked up the drive way to see Paige. Paige was standing at the driver's side of her Prius, obviously trying to get the key in the lock, but hardly able to keep her balance.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Okay, girls, hang on. I'll be right back." The only answer she got back was three groans. Emily was already striding back toward the house, though.

"Paige!"

Paige looked left and right before finally turning around to see Emily. "Emilyyyy!" she had a dopey grin and her eyes were glazed.

"Paige, you're not actually trying to drive home right now are you?" She had her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at the drunken swimmer.

Paige slowly blinked. "Well….trying but failing!" She slurred, giggling, and indicating the fact that she couldn't seem to fit the key into the hole.

Emily quickly snatched the keys out of Paige's hand. "Look, I'll take you home if you don't want to stay here tonight but you're sure as hell not getting behind the wheel like this. What's your address?" Emily dug her phone out, ready to map quest it.

Paige managed to articulate her address and Emily sighed, seeing it was about 20 minutes out of her way. "Okay, come on McCullers. My car's over here." Paige stumbled a bit as they set off and Emily reached over and grabbed her around the waist to stop her inevitable face plant. Paige wrapped both of her arms around Emily at that point, her hands holding onto fistfuls of Emily's sweater.

"Mmm, this sweater is as soft as it looks.." Paige whispered, almost directly into Emily's ear. "I've been wondering.."

Emily frowned a bit as they approached her car. Now it was obvious Paige was hitting on her. At least, Drunk Paige was.

Hanna was sitting on the ground when they got back. Emily sighed. "Aria, can you get Hanna up?" she asked, thankful that the small girl hadn't overindulged. Emily used her free hand to open the back door and helped Paige lower into the backseat.

"Thank you, Emilyyy.." Paige said, sounding a lot like a kid. Spencer had gotten in on the other side and Aria and Emily slid Hanna in next to Paige. Aria rode shot gun. Emily got in the driver's seat and looked at the three girls in the back. Paige was in the middle, looking content. Spencer was scooted as close to the door and as far away from Paige as she could get, a slight blush on her cheeks. Hanna, on the other hand, had rested her head on Paige's shoulder and put her hands in her lap.

"Hi Paige.." Hanna breathed. She moved her hands up higher on Paige's thighs.

"Hey, Hanna." Paige had that dumb smirk on again.

"Hey! You two can bang later if you want, but it's not gonna be in the back seat of my car." Emily said sarcastically. Hanna, at least, stilled her hands. Emily pulled out of the Kahn's driveway, peeking at the map to Paige's house on her phone.

After about five minutes, Spencer spoke up. "Uhhhnn…Hey Em? Not feeling so good back here.." Emily knew what that meant and immediately pulled off the road. Spencer spilled out of the back seat, barely making it around to the back of the car before the other girls heard her retching.

"Anyone else need to puke? Better do it now." Emily announced to the car.

"Nope! I'm good, Em!" Hanna answered as if she had asked if anyone wanted the rest of her fries. After a few minutes, Spencer returned to the car, looking pale.

"Get it all out, Spencer?" Emily eyed her in the rearview mirror.

"Ughh, yea I think.."

Emily frowned at the uncertainty. "Hmm..okay, guys. Since my house is right around the corner, how about I just drop you guys off to get settled in and then I'll take Paige home. Okay?" Paige met her eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded.

"Fiiine with me.." Paige mumbled.

In less than a minute, Emily was pulling up to her own house, giving the other three instructions. "You can set up in the living room and my parents aren't home so feel free to turn on the Tv or whatever. Aria? Make sure you put a trashcan next to Spencer, just in case." Aria nodded, grimacing under the weight of Hanna. "I won't be long."

Emily noticed that although Paige was the only other passenger at this point, she hadn't gotten in the passenger seat. "Uhh, are you gonna ride in the back still?" Emily asked her.

"I like feeling like I'm being chauffeured around." Paige said simply. "Especially by a beautiful girl." That damn dopey grin.

Emily rolled her eyes and groaned. "You're not as smooth as you think you are, McCullers. That kind of stuff might work on straight girls who are mad at their boyfriends but it won't work on me."

"Yeaaa…" Paige laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. "You're different, Em."

Emily was struck by the nickname. To Paige she was always Emily or Fields. Never Em.

They rode in silence, Emily checking her map every once in a while. She looked in the rearview mirror to check on Paige who was still sitting with her eyes closed and head back. Despite herself, Emily noticed that Paige was actually quite beautiful. Asleep, with her mouth shut, that is. She looked peaceful. Not like the cocky girl who roams the halls of Rosewood High hitting on everything with a vagina.

Emily made a few more turns, slowing down to try and determine what house number she was at. Finally she pulled up at the address Paige had given her. When the car stopped, Paige cracked her eyes open and whispered "We made itttt!"

"Yes we did." Emily couldn't help but smile. Paige was kind of a cute drunk. "Hang on, let me help you." She said, getting out and going around to collect Paige. Once again, Paige clung to Emily's sweater as they slowly made their way to the front door. The three steps up onto the porch proved to be difficult, though.

Emily had to brace herself against the railing with one hand while practically lifting Paige up the stairs with the other. They eventually made it up to the porch when Emily tilted her head up, taking in the McCullers estate…both stories of it. Emily groaned. "Paige…is your bedroom upstairs..?"

Paige just started giggling. Emily sighed. She had gotten Paige to her front door and that should be enough, right? But she looked over at the taller girl, her head rolling from side to side and knew she had to do the right thing. She didn't need the guilt of leaving Paige McCullers to break her neck falling down an entire flight of stairs on her conscious.

Emily hoisted Paige up again. "Let's do this." She turned the handle on the front door, thanking the universe that it was unlocked. They stepped inside and Emily spotted the stairs…about 20 of them. She huffed. This was going to be difficult. "Okay, Paige if you can help me at all that would be great." She whispered, assuming Paige's parents were sleeping upstairs. Paige just nuzzled her face into Emily's neck in response. "Just…at least hang on to me." She sighed, attempting the first step. Paige was supporting some of her own body weight at this point but Emily was silently relieved she spent so much time weight training out of the pool.

About ten stairs up, Emily needed a breather. She pushed Paige off of her a little bit, forcing her onto her own feet. She rotated her shoulders and stretched out a bit before grabbing onto Paige who was swaying dangerously. Paige leaned harder into Emily, pushing her up against the bannister. Emily held Paige tight around the waist, anchoring them. Paige kept her arms wrapped around Emily's torso, her head resting in the crook of her neck. Emily was glad for the respite and relaxed herself against Paige. She slid her hands up Paige's back into more of an embrace than a support. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes until Emily decided to conquer the rest of the stairs. She whispered "Ready, Paige?" Paige raised her head and Emily reached up and tucked her hair back before she could stop herself. Paige smiled, actually smiled, not her usual smirk and answered, "Yea, Em."

After what seemed like hours, the girls were at the top of the stairs. "Which door is yours?"

Paige motioned to the second door on the left. Hauling Paige over level terrain felt like nothing after the incline of the stairs. She swung the door open and headed for the bed, sitting Paige down gently and taking a deep breath.

"Well, McCullers, here you are. Home safe and sound. All thanks to me." Emily couldn't help the snarky comment. She took a quick look around Paige's room. Mostly decorated with swimming trophies and memorabilia. However, a large book case took up almost one whole wall and was crammed with books. 'Wouldn't have taken Paige for an avid reader..' Emily thought to herself. She looked back down at the brunette seated on the bed, looking bleary eyed and half asleep. "Are you okay if I leave now? The girls are still waiting for me."

"Mhm.." She bobbed her head slightly. Emily smiled at her and turned to leave. "Heyy Emily?"

"Yea?"

Paige just held her arms out, presumably for a hug. Emily shook her head slightly and grinned, moving toward Paige and leaning down to receive her thanks. Paige held her tight. "Thank you for looking out for me." She said, her words sounding closer to sober than they had all night.

Emily pulled back to look at Paige. "Of course; you would do the same for me." A look of determination crossed Paige's face, her eyes clearing. She leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them by half. She looked into Emily's eyes for a second before leaning in all the way, her lips gently pressing into the dark skinned girl's own. It was quick, Paige pulled back after only a few seconds of contact. But, Emily was left frozen, her eyes closed, lips in a slight pucker. She felt Paige's hand move up to her cheek and slowly opened her eyes. But the moment passed and Emily pulled back quickly, standing up straight. She opened and shut her mouth a couple times before finding her voice.

"Paige…I, uh…well, I should go, okay? You're tired and you're drunk." And with that, she turned and hustled down the stairs. She crossed the yard out to her car, taking deep breaths of the crisp autumn air and trying to calm herself. Had Paige McCullers really just kissed her? Cocky Paige, who liked to do keg stands and sleep with any girl who comes her way? Sweet Paige, who liked Emily's sweater and had a bookshelf full of books? Emily's head was swimming now, feeling practically drunk herself. She held onto the steering wheel, trying to stop her hands from shaking before she started the engine and headed back to her house.


	2. Chapter 2

When Emily opened her eyes the next morning, she laid still, playing the 'real or not' game that generally accompanied a night out, albeit usually only when she had been drinking. She had been totally sober and yet she was still trying to decide if Paige kissing her was a dream. She reached up and gingerly touched her lips, knowing then that it had been real. "Jesus Christ.", she said to herself. She could chalk it up to Paige being drunk and nothing more, right? But, _in vino veritas_ they say. In wine, lies the truth. What sayings were there about beer, though? Emily wondered, chuckling slightly. She raised herself up off the couch, gazing around her living room. Her three best friends were passed out in various uncomfortable positions. Emily couldn't help but smile.

She got up, silently padding into the kitchen. She dug out all the breakfast foods she could find. Eggs, bacon, hash browns and bread. She nodded; this should do a pretty decent job soaking up the lingering alcohol in the girls' systems. She got busy cooking, trying to put Paige McCullers out of her head. That was something she could deal with later.

Her phone buzzed. She looked over at it and it effectively cleared her head of everything but apprehension. Text from Unknown. Emily sighed. What fresh hell could –A have in store for her this time? She slid her finger across the screen, unlocking it. She read the text three times, confused.

"_I never would have pegged you for a car thief, Fields."_

It wasn't signed. –A always signed her/his/its handy work. And –A never called her Fields. Emily tried to decide how to respond. She quickly typed out _"I don't know what that means. Who is this?"_ She couldn't help but feel annoyed. She didn't need some other creep sending her cryptic texts.

Almost immediately, her phone buzzed again. "_Hey, sorry, it's Paige. I thought you had my number. I just mean I think you still have my car keys."_

Emily furrowed her brow. Paige's keys? What had she done with them last night after taking them away? She moved the eggs off the burner before hurrying upstairs to her room. She found the purse she had been carrying, and sure enough, right on top were a pair of keys she didn't recognize. She pulled them out by the key ring. One Toyota key, one plain house key and a blue and white Sharks keychain. Emily studied the Sharks key chain. It was handmade. By her. She had made everyone on the swim team beaded key chains her freshman year as a gesture of team spirit. After four years, it was frayed and a bit faded.

She went back down to the kitchen with the keys and picked up her phone.

"_Sorry, Paige, I do have them. Can I drop them off later_?" Obviously, Paige couldn't exactly come to her without a vehicle.

"Who are you textiiiing?"Hanna's voice teased her.

Emily turned to see all three girls, looking worse for wear, entering the kitchen. Spencer was rubbing her eyes vigorously, probably trying to avoid the light. Hanna and Aria were eyeing the food on the stove.

"You guys look terrible!" Emily joked, avoiding Hanna's question. "Okay, who wants what?" She asked, holding up a spatula.

Silence fell over them, Hanna and Aria eating everything in sight. Spencer, however, couldn't even look at her plate without dry heaving.

Emily's phone buzzed against the counter. She snatched it up before Hanna could.

"_I have a better idea: how about you pick me up later and I'll treat you to dinner? I owe you."_

Emily frowned and set down her phone without answering.

"Em? What is it? An –A text?" Aria questioned her.

"No, it's not –A…" Emily was trying to decide if she should tell her friends what happened. "It's…Paige McCullers.."

Hanna squealed, and Spencer covered her ears against the harsh noise. "Ohmygosh, Emily! Did you guys…last night…you were gone an awful long time 'taking her home'! I knew it! You and Spence are Eskimo Sisters now!" She gave Spencer a playful nudge which almost caused the hungover brunette to fall off her stool.

"Han! No!" Emily could feel herself blushing. "I didn't have sex with her. She…she kissed me, though. And now she wants to take me to dinner tonight." She said, indicating her phone.

"Like…on a date?" Spencer asked, raising her eyebrows.

Aria just gave a low whistle.

"No! No way." Emily said, trying to convince herself as well. "I accidentally took her car keys with me. And she said she wanted to thank me for giving her a ride home. It's not a date!" Her friends looked skeptical. "Paige McCullers does not take girls on dates."

"I guess she is more the 'hit it and quit it' type…" said Aria. "So what'd you tell her about dinner?"

"I…didn't answer yet." Emily looked down at her phone. "I mean, it's not a big deal, right? She does owe me for not letting her kill herself or someone else last night."

"Get yourself a free dinner, Em. You deserve it." Hanna laughed and went back to shoveling eggs into her mouth like the situation was decided. The other two girls shrugged and nodded, agreeing. Emily picked up her phone.

"_I'll see you at 8."_ Was all she responded.

The rest of the day passed in one of those time tug-of-wars where you're partly nervous and partly excited about something. The time doesn't pass as fast or as slow as you want it to.

Emily was sitting on her bed at 7:15, fully dressed, her hair and make up done. But it was still too early to leave. They hadn't discussed where they were going for dinner, so Emily had decided on something in between formal and casual: A white V-neck t-shirt with a grey vest over the top, tight blue jeans and Chuck Taylors. Her leg bounced lightly and she took a deep breath. Her heart was beating faster than normal.

"Get a grip!" She said looking at herself in the mirror. "She's taking you to dinner to get her keys back. That's it. You don't even have to bring up the kiss. Hell! She probably doesn't even remember the kiss! She was totally smashed, after all." She relaxed a little bit at that thought. Finally, at 7:30 she decided she just needed to go. She could take the long way so she didn't show up to Paige's too early but she couldn't sit on her bed another minute.

She reached for her phone as she turned onto Paige's street, intending to text her to let her know she was there. That turned out not to be necessary. Paige was already standing on her porch, leaning against the railing. She smiled when she spotted Emily's car.

She headed down the steps and Emily couldn't help but admire Paige's outfit. A black button down, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, jeans that bagged slightly around her frame and gray leather boots. Emily was impressed.

Paige let herself in on the passenger side. "Hey, Emily. Right on time." She said, eyeing the clock on the dash. 7:59.

"Hey, you're actually gonna sit in the front this time? Not feeling like being chauffeured tonight?" Emily teased, smirking over at the older girl.

Paige quirked an eyebrow at her. "Hm?"

So, maybe she doesn't remember last night? Emily smiled. "Just-…last night. You said you like being chauffeured around."

Paige let out a laugh. "Did I? Well, I do. Especially by beautiful girls." She said, unknowingly repeating herself.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Yea, you explained that last night. And I told you then that you're not as smooth as you think you are. You still aren't." Emily smiled to show she was mostly teasing. "So, tell me where we're going." She pulled away from the McCullers's house, glancing at Paige for directions. "Paige McCullers, are you blushing?" There was an unmistakable red flare up on Paige's cheeks at the moment.

Paige dipped her head toward her chest, a bashful smile on her lips. "I just…I guess I feel a little embarrassed. I'm wondering what other charming lines I tried using on you last night."

"Well, you're right that you used some lines. Not exactly right about the charming part.." Emily joked. "So…you genuinely don't remember anything about last night?" Emily said, testing the waters.

"Take a left up ahead." Paige instructed. "And…I remember bit and pieces. Did Spencer end up throwing up on the side of the road?"

"She definitely did." Emily chuckled.

"And you..you carried me all the way up to my room, huh?" Paige asked sheepishly.

'_Oh god…here it comes.._' Thought Emily. "Yea, I did. Up all those damn stairs. I couldn't see you making it all the way up without falling back down, to be honest. So I did it for you."

"Geez, I may owe you a couple of dinners." Paige did look genuinely embarrassed. "Take the next right, by the way."

Emily had to press hard on the brakes in order to make the turn. "Thanks for the warning." She said sarcastically. "Don't forget that I don't know where I'm going."

After a few more minutes, Paige told Emily to pull into a parking lot. Emily looked up at the restaurant in front of them. The Flaming Dragon: Gourmet Chinese Cuisine. She nodded at Paige.

"Okay, not bad McCullers. Is this your usual date spot?" Emily's eyes widened. "I mean…not that..I don't…not that this is a date. I just bet you take all your conquests here. Not that..I'm…not..God, you know what I mean."

Paige was just watching Emily babble, not trying to help. "No, what do you mean, Emily? You want to know how I woo the ladies?"

Emily rolled her eyes yet again.

"Your eyes are gonna get stuck like that if you don't stop." Paige teased, reaching ahead of Emily and holding the door open for her.

A small Asian man was standing behind the counter, waiting to seat people. When he saw them, his face lit up.

"Paige! How you doing? You call in order? I go get it for you." The man spoke rapidly, turning and heading away from them.

"No, no, Mr. Wu. I'm actually going to eat here today." Paige explained, motioning towards Emily.

"Ohhh…I seee. Table for two, hmm?" He eyed the two girls, smiling. He grabbed two menus and headed into the dining room, the two swimmers following. "How your dad doing? Haven't seen him in so long!" Mr. Wu questioned Paige.

"He's fine. Just out of town a lot. I'll tell him you say hello." Paige smiled politely, sitting down at the small table they had been brought to. Emily followed suit and thanked Mr. Wu.

"You're pretty popular around this place, huh? Guess I was right in my assumptions earlier.." Emily lifted an eyebrow.

"Yea, right. Around here, I'm the girl who comes in at least once a week to pick up her single sized order, and goes home to eat it alone." Paige said, effectively shutting Emily up. "Even when my parents are in town, they're not home for dinner. So, I come here a lot. Best Chinese in Rosewood."

Emily was silent for a moment. Much like when they saw Amber making out with Brian at Noel's party the night before, Emily couldn't tell if Paige was feeling sorry for herself or just simply stating facts.

"You're hard to read." Emily pointed out.

Paige cocked her head to the side. "In what way?"

"I mean…at school, you like to go around like this huge stud. You wear your varsity jacket around and hang with the football players and hit on cheerleaders. But then…you have this…sweet side." Emily swallowed wondering where exactly she was going with this. "You like soft sweaters and read a lot of books and keep dumb little keychains…" She reached into her purse, extracting Paige's car keys. She slid them across the table.

Paige let out a sound like a cross between a laugh and a strangled breath, color rising into her cheeks as she reached for her keys.

"Don't be embarrassed." Emily reached across the table. "It's just interesting…in a good way. I mean, in all our years of being team mates, it seems like that's all we've ever been. Team mates and co-captains and all we've ever talked about is swimming. I just don't know a lot about you besides your…reputation."

"Yea…my reputation definitely precedes me.." Paige looked away.

"Does that bother you?" Emily was curious. It seemed like Paige did everything she could to maintain peoples' expectations of her, so it couldn't bother her too much.

Paige scrunched her face, like she was trying to decide. But, before she could, the waitress appeared at their table asking if they were ready to order.

"Oh.. I haven't even looked at the menu..." Emily hurriedly scanned the plastic menu in front of her.

"Just bring us two of my usual, please, Mrs. Wu." Paige smiled slyly at Emily. Emily just squinted her eyes back at the other girl.

"What makes you think I'll like your usual?" Emily asked once Mrs. Wu had left. "Maybe I'm a vegetarian. Maybe I have allergies!" She tossed her hands up, annoyed. Paige's smirk at her mild outburst annoyed her even more. She crossed her arms and waited for a response.

"Emily… you may not have learned anything about me in our time as team mates but…based on the amount of burgers I've seen you eat in the cafeteria the past four years, I'm fairly certain you're not a vegetarian. I know you hate cucumbers because you always pull them out of your salads. I know you can handle spicy stuff because of the jalapeno eating contest you won at Angela's house after we beat Ravenswood last year. I know soy sauce is your favorite condiment because of the packets of it you keep stashed in your swim bag for when the team stops to eat after meets." Paige wasn't smirking anymore. Instead, she was staring intently at Emily, eyes searching. "Are there any allergies I should know about, then?"

Emily balked. "Well..no. I'm..I don't have any allergies. I was just…trying to make a point." She paused. "You really just have that information about me stored in your head?"

Paige shrugged. "Hey, you don't get to go on a bizarre rant about the intricacies of my personality without me getting to do the same to you and, in case you didn't notice, we actually have spent a lot of time together. It's hard not to make casual observations."

"It…just seems like it's more than casual observation." Emily scolded herself. What was she trying to get Paige to admit to?

"Maybe it is." Paige was playing nervously with her napkin in her lap. Finally, she met Emily's eyes. Emily just stared back, until-

"You kissed me last night." she blurted suddenly.

Paige raised her eyebrows a bit. "Yea…I was wondering when you would bring that up.."

"You mean you remember doing it? I asked you what you remembered from last night and you didn't mention it!" Emily replied heatedly.

"Emily…look. I just figured I'd leave it up to you whether or not you wanted to discuss it tonight. Or ever."

"Was is because you were drunk? Or was it...on purpose?" Emily didn't know what answer she wanted.

"I knew what I was doing." Paige stated.

Emily couldn't help her sarcastic reply. "Since when does Paige McCullers stop at what was essentially a peck on the lips? You didn't even try to get in my pants."

Paige didn't smile. "Some things are more important than sex, Em."

Emily's stomach flip flopped. What does that mean? She decided not to open that can of worms at the moment and changed the subject. "So, what's with the nick name all of the sudden? Since when do you call me Em?"

"Don't people call you that? I didn't think you minded." There was a definite change in Paige's demeanor. She wasn't smirking, she just answered matter of factly.

"It's not that I mind…it just jumped out at me. You can call me Em." Emily tried to smile reassuringly.

Just then, Mrs. Wu showed up with their plates. She set one down in front of each of the girls and asked if they needed anything else. They both shook their heads. Emily studied the meal that had been put in front of her. It was mostly beef and noodles with a few vegetables interspersed throughout.

"This looks great, Paige. I approve." Emily grinned at her, trying to lighten the mood. She got a piece of beef and some noodles wrapped around her fork and took a bite. "Mmmm…"

"Yea, it's good, huh?" Paige was expertly using chopsticks to eat hers.

"Wow, McCullers. Nice chopstick skills." Emily was genuinely impressed.

"It's all in the fingers!" Paige laughed, wiggling her digits at Emily. Emily was glad to see her relax again.

"Yea…I've heard yours are magic!" Emily made a face at her co-captain.

Paige just groaned and covered her face with her hand. "Spencer?"

"Spencer." Emily confirmed, nodding. "That was…interesting to find out." Emily was glad they were able to move out of their awkward moment and have an actual conversation about something, even if it was about Paige getting lucky with one of her best friends.

Paige only chuckled, not offering up any more details.

"Aw, come on, you're not gonna tell me anything? Spencer can be so uptight…I would be curious-"

Paige cut her off. "I don't kiss and tell! I can't help it if other people do." She rolled her eyes but was clearly teasing.

Their moods lightened considerably and they both felt content to put off more serious conversations until later. They inevitably began talking about the swim team and they both finished their meals, smiling and strategizing about the teams they were swimming against in the coming weeks.

They were putting on their seatbelts in Emily's car when something dawned on her. "I guess I need to take you to Noel's now, huh? So you can actually get your car."

"Don't worry about it. I was thinking I would just jog over there in the morning to get it."

"It's not a big deal, Paige, I can totally take you." Emily pressed.

"Seriously, Fields, I need the incentive to run. You can just take me back home."

"Suit yourself!" Emily teased as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Emily looked out the window at Paige's house once they stopped. It was totally dark. No lights or signs of any one being home.

"Are you parents out of town?" Emily asked.

"Yea. I can't even remember where this time." Said Paige, also staring out the window.

"Looks creepy." Emily observed. "Paige, if you want some company…so you don't have to be alone..."

Paige looked over at Emily, smiling. "I would like that, actually."

"Okay." Emily smiled too, turning off the engine and unbuckling her seat belt.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter was hard to write, but in the end I'm proud of it. It uses some cannon ideas/lines from the show that I hope you guys find amusing. Let me know what you guys are thinking about this with your reviews! I need to know where I should be taking this story…(well besides sex..we're getting there, promise!)**

Emily was feeling nervous. She had felt bad for Paige when she saw how dark and uninviting the house had looked from the outside and the offer to come inside just spilled out of her. She didn't know what exactly to expect, if anything. They decided to watch a movie or two. So, while Paige went to the kitchen to get drinks and pop some popcorn, Emily stood in front of the entertainment center, studying the McCullers' extensive movie collection. She spotted one of her favorites and started to reach out for it.

"Hey, Em?" Paige called from the kitchen.

"Yea?" Emily answered, extracting the DVD from the shelf.

"Not '_Rudy'_, please? I know you love it but my dad's made me watch it a million times."

Emily's jaw dropped a little, eyeing the '_Rudy'_ DVD in her hand. Paige couldn't even see her. How did she know she'd pick that movie? "Oookay…not '_Rudy'_…" she said under her breath. She looked over the other DVDs. Paige came back in the room, holding a couple bottles of water and a huge bowl.

"Water okay for you? I have soda or beer, if you prefer."

"Nah, water's good. I'm trying to avoid too much sugar." Emily grabbed another movie. "How about this?" She held it out to Paige.

"_Pitch Perfect?_ That's..perfect." Paige smiled at her own dumb joke. Emily handed it over, not trusting herself to mess with the DVD player or the giant flat screen TV. She flopped on the couch, grabbing the bowl of popcorn.

Paige popped the movie in, grabbed the remote and, instead of sitting on the other end of the large couch, sat inches away from Emily. Emily looked at the distance between their thighs. _Not much room for error_, she thought.

"What?" asked Paige, following Emily's gaze. "You don't think I'm gonna let you hog all the popcorn down here, do you?" She made her point by reaching over Emily's lap and grabbing a handful.

The two brunettes watched the movie and ate popcorn, Paige singing quietly to all the songs, and Emily…not so much.

After a while, Paige shifted, breeching the distance and moving her thigh into Emily's.

Emily cleared her throat but Paige pushed her thigh in closer, obviously doing it on purpose.

Then Paige looked down in mock surprise, "Oh, sorry…didn't even realize.." And she pulled her thigh away.

Emily rolled her eyes but chuckled at the same time. "Jesus, McCullers. I told you that lame shit won't work with me."

"Not sure what you're referring to, Emily." Paige said, with feigned confusion.

"Paige…" A slight warning in her tone this time.

"Sorry, Em…I'll…sorry." Paige stuttered and scooted a full two feet away from Emily.

Emily sighed. "Paige..I didn't mean…" She reached out and put her hand on Paige's arm before taking a deep breath. "Paige. Look at me." Paige met Emily's gaze, chewing on her bottom lip. "You have to actually talk to me at some point. Like a regular person. Not a pick-up-line-machine." Emily knew she was approaching dangerous territory here. But, she sensed that the idea of this conversation had also been part of the reason she had offered to keep Paige company tonight. Something was going on with her co-captain and she couldn't fight her curiosity.

Paige glanced around the room uncomfortably, before finding Emily again. "I don't know what to say." Her voice was soft, her lips barely moving.

"You knew what to say at dinner, Paige. You seem to know more about me than my own friends. Now, why is that?"

Paige was sitting on the edge of the couch now, looking skittish. Finally, her body won and she sprung from the cushion. She stopped a few feet away, her back to Emily. Her hands were clenching like she was wrestling with something internally.

"Emily…I…" She paused for a few seconds. Long seconds. "I've been…desperate for you since the first time I saw you." She breathed.

She…_what_? Emily froze, her brain attempting to process the sentence. The light flashing from the TV was throwing off Emily's equilibrium. She couldn't think.

She didn't know how long she sat there.

A minute?

Five?

She was alone in the living room, then. Paige had gone up stairs at some point. Emily rubbed her face with both hands, trying to focus. Had she imagined that Paige had said she was _desperate_ for her? That _word_.

Emily breathed. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that. She had expected Paige to admit to having a crush on her. To thinking she was pretty. Or wanting to have sex with her. Those things would have been simple. Everyone has crushes. Emily could have handled a crush. But...what Paige had said was a more complex thing. Emily couldn't even fathom what Paige meant by it.

It made her head spin. It didn't even seem like she was on Paige's radar beyond the pool. And now she was telling her she had harbored secret feelings for Emily for four years? She racked her brain trying to think of some far off memories that should have clued her in. Besides the kiss they had shared less than 24 hours prior, she came up with nothing.

Emily stood up. She turned toward the front door, taking a few steps toward it. But she looked at the stairs. She felt trapped in the middle of her two options. The front door was right there…she could leave right now and not have to worry about this tonight. But, the stairs…she knew Paige was up there in her room. But what was Paige thinking? She was probably mortified because Emily hadn't responded to her admission. In fact, she probably intended for Emily to leave. Emily pursed her lips, moving toward the front door again. A sound from upstairs made her stop, though. A sob. And another.

Emily sighed; there was no way she could walk away from that. She quietly made her way up the stairs and to the second door on the left. She stood in front of the door, wondering if she was crazy. She could clearly hear Paige crying now. She knocked lightly.

"Paige?" They crying stopped. Emily waited a few seconds, trying to give Paige time to wipe her tears and pretend she wasn't crying if she wanted to. Then she slowly opened the door. Paige was sitting on her bed in the exact spot Emily had left her the night before. She had wiped her tears but there were telltale signs. The make up on her cheeks, the redness in her eyes. She didn't look at Emily.

Emily was trying to decide the best plan of action. Normally, she would comfort someone who was crying but she knew this situation was beyond her capabilities. Emily took a look around the room again. She made her way toward the large bookshelf. She stood in front of it, scanning the books. Some she recognized, others were foreign. She glanced over her shoulder at Paige.

"What's your favorite?" Emily asked, indicating the books.

Paige gaped at her, confusion etched in her features. "What?" Her voice was rough from crying.

Emily repeated herself. "Which book is your favorite?"

Paige looked utterly perplexed at the question. She shook her head slightly but responded, "_The Wizard of Oz.." _

Emily scanned every level of the bookshelf, with no idea what color or design she should be looking for.

After a minute of watching Emily look, Paige said quietly, sounding no less confused, "Top shelf, green spine." Emily spotted it then, pulling the well-worn book down. Paige had obviously devoted a lot of time to these pages. She walked over to the bed and motioned, silently asking if she could sit. Paige scooted over in response. Emily climbed over and leaned against Paige's pillows patting the space next to her. Paige moved up and lay next to Emily, careful not to let their bodies make any contact, still not exactly meeting her eyes.

Emily was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Was she being too forward? She really just wanted to calm Paige down and this was the first thing that popped into her head. She opened the book to the first page and started reading out loud. She heard Paige let out a breath that sounded a little like a laugh. Emily glanced over at the truly beautiful swimmer and saw she had a little smile on her face. Emily smiled back. She kept reading for a while, her voice steady, Paige just quietly listening, not questioning what Emily was doing.

Emily finished the first chapter and started to turn the page when Paige stopped her. She extracted the book from Emily's hands, dog-eared the page and set the book on the bed. "Emily…" Paige sat up and tears welled up in her eyes again. They didn't spill over, however. They brimmed against her skin, swimming in front of her brown eyes. "You don't have to stay." She struggled to get the words out over the lump in her throat.

Emily sat up next to her, reaching over and taking her trembling hand. She intertwined their fingers and laid her other hand on top. "I know I don't have to stay, Paige. But I can't leave when you're so upset."

Paige sighed, chewing her bottom lip again. Finally, she spoke, still fighting against crying. "I'm not…upset, exactly." She searched for the words to explain. "I feel like…I've finally dropped a weight I've been carrying. I feel…relief, almost." She reached up with the hand Emily wasn't holding and laid it over her own chest. "In the past 24 hours, I kissed Emily Fields, I took her on a date and I told her how I feel…all these things I've been hanging onto for years… and it feels…like now, maybe, I can finally start getting over you." Paige's voice was barely above a whisper, shaky.

Emily felt a pang in her gut at the words. What was Paige saying? All of the sudden she didn't want Emily anymore? Just like that? All it took was admitting it and that made her feelings go away? Her head was swimming with questions, none of which she could properly articulate.

In truth, she couldn't blame Paige. She hadn't exactly welcomed the news with open arms. But she had been caught off guard. She had been so wrapped up in her own misery since Alison's disappearance and the harassment that followed that she hadn't had time to focus on much else, much less dating. She thought Paige hardly acknowledged her in their day to day lives, but was that true?

"Paige…I…well you can't blame me for being confused about this…" Emily started gently. "I know I've had some major stuff going on in my life…but if there was anything…cluing me in to how you felt…I think I would have noticed. You're Paige McCullers, for god sakes!" Her voice rising a bit, "When you're interested in a girl…well, it's usually pretty obvious. You don't exactly have trouble in the love department." Emily lifted her eyebrows.

Paige scoffed, causing the tears to spill over. "I was never interested in anyone but you, Emily. Those girls…they were substitutes in a time when I never thought I'd get the real thing." She was looking at Emily now, her features hard.

Emily studied the girls face: The small scar by her right eyebrow, the contour of her cheeks, her large eyes, the color of dark amber, her pink lips, a slight tremble on them.

"Paige…" she breathed. She moved her hand up and touched Paige's damp cheek. "You should have said something…all this time.." She tugged gently on Paige's cheek, drawing her in. And this time, it was Emily who closed the distance between their lips, settling hers onto Paige's.

Their fingers unraveled, their lips pressing more intently but still gentle. Emily scooted herself up onto her knees, moving her hands up Paige's arms. Paige gripped Emily's hips. Her hands travelled up onto Paige's shoulders, using the leverage to pull the other girl in closer. She tilted her head, working her lips open against Paige's and she felt a jolt in her mind as the taller girl's tongue brushed her bottom lip. She could feel goosebumps rise on her skin, a tingling in her fingertips buzzing in her ears. This is what kissing was supposed to do to you, Emily realized. She broke away for an agonizing second, looking down into Paige's eyes before pointedly pushing back on her shoulders. Paige understood, scooting back so she could lay comfortably, propped on the pillows. Emily followed her pressing her own body into Paige's, attaching their lips again. It was still a tender kiss, their tongues making minimal contact. They just explored each other for a while; hands grazing backs and arms and the occasional thigh. It was very innocent and neither of the girls pushed for more. They reveled in the easy contact.


	4. Chapter 4

The week after Paige's tearful admission had flown by for Emily. She had been focused enough on school and swimming that her situation with Paige had been pushed to the back burner. Any time her thoughts turned to her co-captain she just felt lightheaded, trying to unravel the complexity. They sent a few texts back and forth and saw each other at swim practice but they still hadn't talked about what was going on between them. Emily knew she needed to figure out her side of things before dragging Paige into another heavy conversation.

As practice ended on Friday, Emily sat on the edge of the pool, kicking her legs lightly. Her teammates began dispersing in to the locker room.

"Hey, Em?" Paige's voice was quiet, questioning.

"Hey." Emily smiled up at Paige. "What's up?"

Paige sat down next to her on the deck. "You swam really well this week." She said, obviously building to saying something else.

"Thanks, so did you. We're gonna wipe the floor with Barker High next week."

"Totally…" Paige cleared her throat, "Hey, so, I was wondering if you had plans tonight.." Clearly she was a bit uncomfortable with their situation as well.

"Uhmmm..nope. Not that I can think of. Why?" Emily tried to keep her tone light.

Paige just gazed across the pool, not making eye contact. "Well, I just thought, if you wanted to, that we could, maybe, do something?"

Emily felt butterflies in her stomach but she couldn't determine if the cause was excitement or nerves. "Oh, yea. Sure. What did you have in mind?"

Paige shifted a bit. "Can I just pick you up around 8?"

Emily cocked an eyebrow playfully, "So it's a surprise, huh?"

The taller girl finally smiled a bit. "Yea, a surprise." Her eyes lit up.

Emily leaned over so that her shoulder gently bumped into Paige's. "Will you at least tell me how to dress this time? I had to guess for dinner."

"Oh..um.." Paige thought, "Warm. Dress warm."

The darker girl narrowed her eyes. "Warm? Okay, McCullers, what do you have in store for me?"

Paige bumped her shoulder back against Emily's. "Nope! It's a surprise. See you at 8!" She had a big grin on her face and this point. She stood up quickly, hurrying to the locker room, probably trying to avoid any more prying. Emily stayed seated, shaking her head and laughing. This side of Paige was, if she had to use one word, adorable.

After a few minutes, Emily checked the clock on the natatorium wall. It was just past 5pm. She figured she had some time to get in a few extra laps before needing to head home and get ready for whatever Paige had in store.

She pushed off the wall, cutting smoothly through the water. She loved the way the water moved through all her cracks and crevices, completely filling her. She felt weightless. Her mind was clear in the pool; it allowed her to see definitive answers to complicated questions. For the first time this week, she let her mind drift to Paige.

She could feel a surge of electricity move through her veins as she extended her arms, pushing hard through the water. She knew, in all honesty, that she had never shared a kiss like that with anyone before. Hell, she had had sex that didn't make her feel that alive and wired.

What she didn't understand was _why_. Sure, intrinsically, Paige was very beautiful. She was a tough competitor, intelligent, and more than a little charming. But, Emily had never thought about Paige in a romantic way before. If she had to guess, she would say it's because of Paige's reputation. It wasn't the amount of girls she was rumored to have been with that bothered Emily but more the arrogant attitude the tall swimmer displayed sometimes.

She could see that Paige clearly had a sweet side, though. But the doubt about Paige's intentions was in the way. Aria had been right when she had described Paige as the 'hit it and quit it type' and Emily wasn't going to be used for sex. Paige had seemed sincere when she told Emily about her feelings, but with Paige McCullers…she didn't really know where 'feelings' would lead. A few dates, a hook up and calling it quits? Multiple hookups? A relationship? She almost laughed at the idea of Paige in a relationship. Almost.

Emily reached the wall and pulled herself graceful out of the water; as her body was pulled from the comfort of the warm liquid, she at least knew with certainty that Paige McCullers was now a fixture in her life, whether she liked it or not.

As Emily got ready that evening, she wondered how warm she was supposed to dress exactly. She had already pulled on a plain pair of blue jeans, knee high socks and boots. For her top she finally settled on a long sleeved maroon sweater. She quickly applied some eye liner and a little lipstick, enhancing her already full lips. She thought back to Noel Kahn's party exactly a week ago and how she had gotten dressed, not seeking to impress anyone. It seemed crazy that now she was actually dressing to impress Paige McCullers.

When she was satisfied with her appearance, she headed down stairs to wait for her date to arrive. Just as she hit the landing, there was a knock on the door. Emily smoothed her hands down her front, searching for nonexistent wrinkles before opening the door. Paige stood there, beaming at her.

"Hello, Ms. Fields." A dorky smile on her lips.

Emily giggled, "Why, hello, Ms. McCullers." She replied in a formal tone, looking Paige up and down smirking. Paige looked _good_. The leather jacket she had on was doing things to Emily's head.

"Ready?" Paige verified. Emily nodded her head, following Paige out to the blue Prius.

After a few minutes of driving, Emily asked, "So when do I get to know where we're going?"

"Mmmm…" Paige pretended to think. "When we get there, that's when!" she teased.

Emily sighed in mock exasperation. "Fiiine…" She relaxed in her seat, smiling to herself.

However, when Paige pulled off the paved road to a dirt path, Emily tensed up. "Um..Paige, what could possibly be out here?"

"You'll see. Trust me, okay?" Paige placed her hand on Emily's thigh.

After everything Emily had been through in the past two years, she didn't find trusting very easy. But, something about Paige's reassurance allowed her to relax again. She just knew she could feel safe with the other girl.

Emily realized they had been climbing for the past few miles, winding their way up the woodsy road.

Finally, Paige pulled into a clearing. They both got out of the car, Emily glancing around nervously. Paige came up alongside her, taking her hand gently.

"Come here." She led Emily toward the end of the clearing. Over the edge, Emily looked out and could see the lights of Rosewood twinkling below them and a sky full of stars shining above them.

"Wohaaa…" She breathed, letting her mouth hang open.

"I know, right?" said Paige. "Breath taking."

"What is this place?"

Paige shrugged, her hand still holding Emily's. "I found it when I would jog out here. Once I came at night and saw how incredible it was, it became my own little sanctuary. I would run up here, clear my head."

They stood in silence, just soaking up the view. The woods were still. There wasn't any wind. No animal sounds. The sounds of the city below them were too far away to invade their senses. After a couple of minutes, Emily sensed that Paige was watching her, instead.

"What?" Emily swallowed.

Paige smiled and shook her head, letting go of Emily's hand. Paige stepped back from their vantage point and turned back towards the car, Emily watching her go with a confused look.

"Paige? Where are you going?"

"Just hang on!" Paige said over her shoulder, opening the back of the car. "There's more to this surprise." Paige returned, carrying a blanket and a picnic basket. She spread the red, checkered blanket on the soft ground in the middle of the clearing, kneeling and beckoning Emily over. Emily shook her head, but she grinned. She sat down close to Paige who was busying herself unpacking the wicker basket. She held out a cup to Emily and then proceeded to fill it with what appeared to be champagne. Upon tasting it, though, she realized it was just sparkling cider.

"Don't worry; you won't have to deal with drunk Paige tonight." Paige chuckled, seeing Emily eye the bottle.

They chatted about nothing in particular while they indulged in various fruits and cookies. Emily was feeling comfortable but she hadn't forgotten that they had some talking to do. As the temperature dipped, she shivered, wishing she had thrown on a jacket over her sweater.

"Cold?" Paige asked, concern in her voice.

"A little. Just wishing I had worn a jacket."

Paige leaned back, "Well…lucky for you…" She stood up and went back to the car, rooting around the back seat, "I have this!" She emerged with her blue and white letterman jacket. She handed it to Emily, who gratefully slipped on, relishing the warmth. She pulled it closer and her stomach flipped at the scent of Paige surrounding her. She sighed.

_Why did Paige have this effect all of the sudden? _

Paige cleared her throat, shifting. "So…Em?" Emily hummed in response, continuing to look up at the stars. "It's just…we haven't really talked since…well…last week, you know. I mean…it seemed like…since you kissed me and everything…well, we just haven't talked much this week." Paige finally finished.

Emily's gaze remained at the sky, buying herself some time before she looked over at Paige. The tall, confident swimmer looked bashful. Without answering, Emily scooted herself next to Paige, who raised her arm, bringing Emily close. Emily leaned hard against Paige, finding herself even more enveloped in her light scent. It was fresh laundry and a vaguely spicy aroma. Like cinnamon. Emily could feel herself breathing more rapidly. She tried to collect her thoughts before answering but they were jumbled up.

"Paige…I can't deny that something has changed between us. Or maybe I just became aware of something that's always been there. I honestly don't know. It's…a little overwhelming."

"Overwhelming.." Paige repeated, tasting the word in her mouth.

"Yea…like…you lit a match inside me. I don't know. I just…I feel electricity when you touch me."

Paige shifted, moving so she could looked at her, her expression serious. "So...you do have feelings for me, then?"

Emily laughed hearing it simplified like that. "I…, yea, I guess that's what I'm trying to say." The words sounded even and calm, though her body was wracked with nerves. _There it was_. The truth she had been avoiding for who knows how long. She had feelings for Paige McCullers. They were lodged in her chest like an extra organ, helping her heart pump blood, helping her lungs pull in oxygen. She opened her mouth not knowing if she needed to suck air in or force air out. She ended up making a strangled sound.

"Are you okay?" Paige looked at her curiously.

"I…I don't know." Emily furrowed her brow; she could feel words pressing up into her throat. "I just don't know what it means. If you have feelings for me and I have feelings for you, what does that make us? Where does that leave us?"

Paige's eyes widened at the rush of questions. Emily immediately brought a hand to her face. She sounded crazy. She wasn't trying to pressure Paige. Really, she was asking herself those questions more than anything.

"Not that we have to be anything…I just-"

Paige cut her off. "Emily, when I say I have feelings for you, I mean it. When I say I've never felt this way about anyone else, I mean it, too. And I think we can answer your questions. I just think you need to be more comfortable with how you feel, first."

Emily pulled her body away from her co-captain, turning and scooting so she was sitting cross legged in front of Paige.

She took both of Paige's hands in hers. She stared at their intertwining fingers and pursed her lips.

"Tell me what you're thinking." Paige was looking expectantly at the beautiful girl.

Emily closed her eyes and sighed. "Honestly, I'm wondering if I'm crazy. I'm sitting here with Paige McCullers, discussing a _relationship._" Paige cocked her head to the side, but stayed silent, allowing Emily to continue.

"You don't do relationships. You do sex." Emily's voice was getting lower and lower. "With like half the girls at school.." She had a hard look on her face now, like the gears were turning in her head. "I can't be another one of those girls." She said it so quietly, like a realization. Her eyes were staring into the woods, her forehead wrinkled with worry.

Before she knew it, Paige's hands were retracting from her own. Paige was on her feet, looking down at Emily. She had her jaw set tight, her eyes watery. Emily's hands were in midair, not quite registering the loss of contact yet. Her eyes were wide, looking up at the tall swimmer.

"Three, Emily." She said, breathlessly through her teeth. She jammed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and strode away to the edge of the clearing again.

Emily was completely still, mentally and physically trying to catch up. What had Paige said? Three? Three what? Finally, Emily's head swiveled toward Paige, her hands pushed her up, her legs folded under her, she was on her feet heading to the other girl. She stopped a few feet from Paige, standing behind her. She started to reach out but thought better of touching her in this state.

So, she just spoke to the back of Paige's head. "I'm sorry, Paige. That was stupid of me to say. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I don't actually think you would use me..like that." Emily took a few steps closer. "What did you mean by 'three'?"

She could hear Paige's shaky breathing. Great, she was the cause of those tears. Again.

As Paige let out a slow breath, still facing away from Emily, she answered. "Three girls. I've had sex with three different girls in my whole life." She paused before adding, "Not exactly half the school." Her tone was icy.

Emily faltered while she absorbed the information. "But-"

"But what, Emily?" Paige turned on her heel, facing Emily. Her face was streaked with tears. Emily could see fire in her eyes. "Paige McCullers fucks every girl that comes near her, right? Do you believe everything you hear?"

Emily started to shake her head but Paige continued, "Regardless of how many people I've 'been with', you obviously don't think very much of me if you think I could just be trying to get in your pants. I thought you saw me for me and not what the mindless rumor mill of Rosewood High has turned me into."

Emily felt everything sink. How could she have been so tactless? She basically accused Paige of being a monster. She had been so intent on protecting herself that she hadn't put two and two together as to why the version of Paige she was beginning to see was so different from what the rumors said. She had felt the sincerity when Paige had said she was 'desperate' for her. She had seen how emotional she was in the moment.

Now, she stood in front of Paige, no idea how to fix the situation. Paige's chest was rising and falling heavily. She was still a couple inches taller than Emily, but she looked small in that moment.

Paige looked at the ground, the fire going out of her. She spoke, quietly, composing herself, "I may be a flirt, Emily, but I always treat people with respect." With that, Paige pushed past Emily, storming to the picnic blanket. She quickly gathered the four corners, raising them unceremoniously, using is as a bag to quickly collect the wicker basket and all its' contents. She stuffed the hobo sack into the back seat and pulled open the driver's side door. She stopped, looking up at Emily.

Emily hadn't moved a muscle. She watched Paige deconstruct their picnic, going over her options. She could walk down but that might take a while and it was already late and cold. She could call one of the girls to pick her up but that would mean waiting, alone, for who knows how long. She was on the verge of tears when Paige finally looked at her.

"Well? Are you coming?"


	5. Chapter 5

Emily was up early Saturday morning. She had dragged herself out of bed after a fitful night of sleep, pulled on her running clothes and shoes, grabbed her headphones and walked out the door. She was already on mile three of her run by 7am. While swimming allowed her to see problems from all angles, running had always allowed her the opposite. She could run and leave everything behind; she could shut down her brain and put her energy into moving her legs and pacing her breathing. That was proving difficult this morning, however.

Paige had been gracious enough to take her home last night and, unsurprisingly, the ride had been awkward. They hadn't said a word to one another. Emily sat in the passenger seat, knowing she was a complete jackass, afraid to open her mouth. Paige had just gripped the steering wheel with both hands, staring straight ahead.

Once home, Emily had laid in bed, unable to sleep, replaying the conversation from the woods. She knew that, while her concerns about Paige's past had been real, she should have breached the subject better. Her accusatory manner had been what set her co-captain off.

Emily had been telling herself that she didn't care about the number of girls Paige had been with. She knew it'd be wrong to judge a woman for that. She told herself it was the idea of just being another notch on Paige's bed post that bothered her. But, deep down, finding out Paige had only been with three girls eased her mind.

As Emily's feet pounded down, carrying her through the neighborhood, she couldn't help but wonder why Paige allowed herself to be the victim of the unsavory rumors. But, logically, Emily knew from experience that rumors are powerful for a reason. It doesn't matter if they're true. People will see what they want to see. Emily was certainly struggling with this real version of Paige: figuring out how her apparent sweetness fit into the Casanova she had always taken Paige for.

As Emily turned a corner onto mile four, she shook her head, trying to clear everything out. Her face hardened at the only thought that lingered: _Apologize._

She considered just running to Paige's right then and there but she knew that wouldn't be the best idea. But, she didn't feel like this was something she should wait to do at school in two days, either.

Later that afternoon, Emily was sitting at her desk, attempting to work on her trig homework. She glanced at the clock and realized she had managed to complete one problem in half an hour. At this rate, she'd be there all weekend. She sighed and shut her book. There was no point in continuing the torture. She got up and wandered to her bed, flopping down on her stomach. She had drifted into a state between sleep and reality when her phone buzzing brought her fully back to consciousness.

She blearily looked at her screen, hardly able to decipher the text.

"_Em! Hope ur rdy 2 partay 2nite! Noel is throwing another big 1!_"

Hanna. Emily groaned and rolled over, quickly deciding that the party sounded like a good idea, if only so she didn't wallow alone all night.

"_I'm down. What time should I pick you guys up?"_

Hanna's response was almost immediate. "_Nope! Ur off DD duty 2nite..Spence said she wud drive! We'll pick u up 9."_

Emily chuckled. After last weekend, she wasn't surprised Spencer wasn't ready to drink again. She let Hanna know that sounded fine and set down her phone, staring up at her ceiling. She couldn't help but wonder if Paige would be at the party tonight. It seemed reasonable to assume she would be but Emily couldn't help but pick her phone back up, her fingers lingering over the keyboard before typing out a new text message.

"_Will you be at Noel's tonight?"_ She got straight to the point, wanting to avoid any pretense. She hesitated but pressed send with an exhale.

After a couple minutes of staring at her phone, she realized she needed to distract herself. She glanced at her abandoned math homework. Instead, she hopped off her bed, heading downstairs, hoping she could convince her mom to go see a movie.

Emily and Mrs. Fields emerged from the theater, blinking in the bright sunlight. The movie had definitely done a good job at distracting her. She hadn't looked at her phone for nearly three hours at this point. However, as she climbed into the passenger seat of her mom's car, she automatically reached into her purse, drawing the device out. She felt a rush of excitement seeing she had a text from Paige. She opened it, the excitement evaporating instantly.

"_Maybe." _Just one word. One vague word.

Emily drew her eye brows together, turning and looking out the window, trying to decide if Paige deserved an answer. She was obviously trying to be ambiguous, still angry with Emily.

"Em?" Emily broke out of her thoughts, turning to her mom.

"Huh?"

Pam narrowed her eyes at her daughter for a moment. "I asked what you thought of the movie."

"Oh, yea, it was good. I really liked it." She said, trying to put some positivity in her voice. "Thanks for coming with. And for paying." Emily smiled deviously.

Pam laughed. "Ohh so that's why you invited me, hm? To get a free movie?" Emily laughed with her mom, allowing the laughter to reach up into her eyes, feeling her mood lighten.

She opened her phone again, deciding to just be honest with Paige.

"_Please? I would really like to see you. I understand if not." _Send.

Emily was facing a dilemma. She was waiting for her friends to arrive and whisk her away to the party. She was dressed and standing, holding up the jacket she was considering. She had unintentionally worn Paige's varsity jacket home the night before. And now, she had to decide what to do with it. She could just fold it up, bring it with her and give it back to Paige. Simple. Or, she could wear it.

Her intention with wearing it would be a peace offering. A way to show Paige that she was sorry and that she still felt enamored with her. But she worried Paige may view it as mocking. She didn't know how wounded Paige would still feel and whether or not Paige still wanted Emily. Or, for that matter whether she would even be there tonight.

_Maybe_.

And then, there were the opinions of everyone else at the party. Wearing Paige's letterman jacket would be a clear admission of their budding romance.

Emily heard a honk outside, she peered out her window and saw Spencer's car sitting in the drive. She steeled herself and slipped the jacket one, allowing Paige's scent to calm her once again. She could do a trial run on the jacket with her friends; get their opinions first.

She saw that she was the last stop on their route, Hanna and Aria sitting in the back. She could already see their confused faces as she approached the car. She opened the passenger side door, releasing a barrage of questions from the girls.

"Em!?"

"What in the world?"

"Oh my god!"

Emily just cringed. Hanna grabbed her shoulder from the back seat, running her fingers over the jacket. "Emily! Spill! Is this Paige's jacket? Are you two, like, official?"

Emily was quiet, trying to decide how to explain the situation with her co-captain. "No…we're not anything, really. We actually had a huge fight last night." She could feel three pairs of eyes on her now, Spencer glancing from the road to express her confusion.

When Emily stayed silent, Aria prodded, "Go on…"

"Well, she surprised me with a picnic and she gave me her jacket when I got cold. But…then I was a moron. I told her I didn't want to be used for sex." Emily sighed, still feeling lowly.

"Uh…she got mad at you because you don't want to be another one of her booty calls? That's seriously twisted." Hanna shook her head.

"Han…" How could Emily explain without giving too many details? "Paige…well, she isn't what everyone thinks. She's actually a really sweet person. And she really does like me. I was totally out of line accusing her of only wanting me for sex. She has every right to be mad. I want to make it up to her."

"Are you sure you really want to get involved with Paige McCullers, Em?" Aria said gently.

Emily knew she was only expressing her concern because she didn't want to see Emily get hurt. None of her friends did. "Guys, you have to get to know her. The Paige you guys know is a façade. There's someone really wonderful beneath that. I promise."

Emily could feel butterflies start bouncing around as they got out of the car at the Kahn's. She considered taking the jacket off but something told her that Paige would like seeing her in it, regardless of any anger she was holding on to. She immediately scanned the crowd outside for the familiar tall brunette, her face falling when she didn't spot her.

Following her group inside, they bee lined for the refreshment table. Spencer grabbed a water bottle, and the other three began mixing various drinks. For Emily, it was always vodka and Sprite. She poured in a shot of vodka, paused and added another splash. She needed to loosen up.

An hour and two more vodka and Sprites later, Emily was passed loose. She hadn't seen any sign of Paige and no one at the party had given a second thought to the letterman jacket she was wearing. She stumbled over to Spencer who was still sipping her water.

"Hey Em, looks like you're having a good time." She smiled, putting a hand on Emily's shoulder, steadying her a bit. Her hand lingered on the varsity jacket. "So…you have a crush on Paige now?" She said nonchalantly.

Emily huffed, moving her hands in a 'who-knows' type of gesture, sloshing her drink. Then, her eyes widened, her drunk mind coming to a realization.

"Oh my god, Spence. Would that bother you? You and Paige have had sex! Do you like her? Oh my god! Am I an asshole?" Emily babbled on, while Spencer tensed up, attempting to hush Emily.

"Emily! Em! Shhh! Someone might over hear you."

Emily clamped her hand over her own mouth, the movement making her drink slosh again. "Sorry…" she whispered over her hand.

Spencer rolled her eyes, looking at her drunken friend. "Emily, don't worry, though. The thing with Paige was a mistake. I'm not into girls. You do what ever you want to regarding her." She smiled sincerely at Emily. "I know she's not the person the rumors say she is. She'll treat you right. If that's what you want."

Emily wrapped Spencer in a big hug, pinning her hands at her side so she couldn't hug her back. "You're so smart, Spencer. I love you."

Spencer chuckled at the sentiment. "Love you, too, Em." As Emily was pulling away, Spencer leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Hey, now's your chance." Spencer then pushed Emily onto her feet and headed to the kitchen.

Emily frowned and turned to see where Spencer was going, but her eyes stopped on the tall girl pushing through the crowd. Paige's eyes were locked on Emily. Emily quickly took a big gulp of her drink, trying to push away her nerves.

Paige closed in on Emily, invading her personal space a bit. "Nice jacket." She fired.

Emily was regretting her second and third beverages as she attempted to respond, her words getting tied up with each other. "Errmm..I..that, youknow, Just…iwant..." Emily stopped, giving her head a shake. "Sorry."

Paige just looked at her expectantly.

"Paige, sorry. That's what I'm trying to say. Sorry." Emily finally said with minimal slurring.

Paige's face softened, her eyes flicking to the floor. "Well, I guess you've said it, then."

Emily wanted to have this conversation properly and with the music thumping and people being loud and raucous, she couldn't think. She tugged on Paige's arm. "Come on."

Emily led the way to the back yard and Paige snagged a beer from the ice chest, following.

Emily breathed the cool night air, setting her drink on a table for now. She knew she needed to think about sobering up. Paige stood next to her, sipping her beer, waiting for Emily to talk first.

"I, uh, I hope you don't mind. Me wearing your jacket, I mean."

Paige just shrugged and didn't answer. Emily was kind of grateful. It would be easier to just say everything she needs to say without Paige interjecting.

Emily cleared her throat. "I'm just trying to show you how sorry I am. I know I was a jerk. I didn't stop to think that my concerns were unfounded. And…well, I should have. It's…just been hard…trying to forget everything I thought I knew about you and replace it with everything I've learned in the past week." Emily took a breath, her head still swimming a bit. She looked over at Paige who still hadn't said a word. Emily reached out and took Paige's empty hand in hers. "Will you just look at me?" Emily asked.

Paige relented and settled her gaze on Emily.

"Paige, I was just worried about getting hurt." She squeezed Paige's hand. "I was worried about being hurt when I should have known you would never hurt me. Not on purpose."

"No, I wouldn't." Paige simply agreed, blinking at Emily.

Emily lifted Paige's hand, bringing the taller girl's arm around her shoulders. Paige automatically held Emily tight and Emily wrapped an arm around Paige's waist.

They stayed like that, Paige silently drinking her beer, Emily just hanging onto to Paige.

After a little bit, Emily could tell she was getting closer to sober. She moved her head off Paige's shoulder and put her mouth against the taller girl's ear, letting her lips brush skin.

"So, you forgive me?" She whispered. She could feel Paige shudder at the breath on her ear.

Paige kept staring out into the woods, not turning to Emily. But, she swallowed and said quietly, "As long as you understand my feelings for you." Then she turned her gaze to Emily. "Then, yes, I do forgive you. "I'm not looking for something casual with you, Em. I want to be with you." Paige's brow had creased with the sincerity of her words, the steely look in her eyes imploring Emily to believe in her. A smile crept onto her face for the first time that night.

Emily pulled Paige closer and hugged her. She started to repeat Paige's words; _I want to be with you, too. _But something held her back. Her apprehension over Paige's intent with her wasn't gone. In fact, it was the opposite. At first, she was afraid Paige just wanted her for sex. But, now it sounded like Paige was ready to dive into an exclusive relationship with her. It seemed like Paige was rushing. Emily sighed into Paige's neck._ Get it together, Fields. You said you didn't want this to be a fling, and she's making it clear that it's not. She's giving you what you asked._

Paige pulled out of their hug. "Now, let's head back inside so I can show you off in my jacket." She teased, taking Emily's hand and leading her to the door.

Emily rolled her eyes and smiled but her stomach was full of butterflies. _Hey, you're the one who decided wearing her jacket was a good idea. _

At the end of the night, Paige and Emily were standing in the drive way of the Kahn's cabin. Paige had held Emily's hand all night as they chatted to their friends. They got a few surprised looks and wolf whistles but no negative comments. Hanna had even given Emily a thumbs up from across the room at one point.

Spencer, Aria and Hanna exited the cabin, too, heading down the drive to Emily and Paige.

"Em, are you ready?" Spencer called as she unlocked her car.

"Err…yea" Emily looked at Spencer and back at Paige.

Paige lifted her eyebrows. She leaned in close to Emily so the other girls couldn't hear her. "I can give you a lift if you want.."

Emily smiled at Paige but looked over her shoulder to her friends. Spencer gave her an impatient look.

"Um..I'm sorry, Paige, but we're gonna stay at Spencer's tonight and watch movies and stuff. Girls' night, ya know? I can't bail."

Paige let her chin dip to her chest, looking disappointed. "Oh, okay. I guess I'll…see you later, then?"

"Yea, later." Emily leaned in and kissed Paige lightly on the cheek. She turned quickly, leaving Paige and heading over to the girls.

Once they were inside the car, Spencer spoke up. "Soo, we're having a girls' night all of the sudden?" She gave Emily a reproachful look.

"Just drive, Spence." Emily sank into the seat.

**A/N: Hey! Hope you guys are enjoying this! Thanks for all the supportive comments**. **I'm almost done with the next chapter so be expecting that in the next couple days. Let me know what y'all are thinking so far!**


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